A Courthouse Wedding Photographer for the Moments Before the Big Wedding

Hiring a courthouse wedding photographer probably wasn’t originally on Kelly and Connor’s wedding planning checklist. Their larger wedding celebration is still ahead, but when they decided to make things legal before their engagement session, a simple afternoon became something worth documenting.

Their parents joined them at the courthouse, we celebrated over dinner afterward, and then headed to Pleasant View Farm for their engagement session. What started as a practical trip to the courthouse became a delightful little chapter in their wedding story.

Planning a courthouse ceremony, civil ceremony or intimate elopement in Pennsylvania?
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Making It Legal With a Pennsylvania Courthouse Wedding

Kelly and Connor found me at a bridal expo and booked me for their wedding photography. An engagement session was a priority because neither felt especially comfortable in front of the camera.

Which is completely normal. Most people don’t spend a lot of time being professionally photographed. You don’t need to arrive already knowing where to put your hands, how to stand together or which poses photograph well. That’s my job.

While preparing for their engagement session and watching the weather, Kelly mentioned they were planning to go to the courthouse beforehand to officially get married. My schedule was open, so I offered to photograph their civil ceremony too.

Their parents joined them, making their Pennsylvania courthouse wedding intimate without feeling insignificant. Their larger celebration was still to come, but this was the moment they legally became married. That deserved photographs too.

And Then Things Got Weird

Kelly, Connor and I had a slight miscommunication about timing, which meant I was going to arrive a few minutes later than expected. Connor came outside to meet me and walk me back to the judge’s chambers.

We opened the door and the judge was talking about horse vaginas.

Yes. You read that correctly.

Apparently, he was telling a story about a child on a school trip who had asked whether horses had vaginas. I thought surely I had misheard him. I had not.

Things didn’t get much more conventional once the ceremony started. At one point, the judge launched into another story about a bride who had “fallen out of her dress.”

The entire experience was bonkers. But hey, it’s legal and it was still deeply meaningful!

Somewhere between the unexpected stories and everyone wondering what exactly was happening, Kelly and Connor got married surrounded by their parents. A civil ceremony doesn’t need an elaborate timeline or a room full of guests to be worth documenting. Sometimes it’s simply the two of you, a few people you love and a courthouse story you’ll be telling for years.

Because marriage licenses and civil ceremony procedures can vary by county, it’s worth checking the requirements where you plan to make things official before heading to the courthouse. Pennsylvania couples can find marriage information through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, then confirm the specific application process with their county’s Register of Wills. Linked above is the Dauphin County requirements.

Courthouse Wedding Photography Can Be More Than the Ceremony

That’s part of why I would love to photograph more civil ceremonies and courthouse weddings. Hiring a courthouse wedding photographer doesn’t mean creating an entire traditional wedding day around a short legal ceremony. Photography coverage can fit the day you’re actually planning.

Maybe that means the ceremony and family portraits afterward. Maybe you walk around together for portraits, grab drinks, have dinner with your parents or end the day with an engagement session like Kelly and Connor did.

In their case, I was even invited to dinner. Getting to sit down with Kelly and Connor and their parents was such a treat. We laughed about the wonderfully bizarre ceremony we’d just witnessed, and I got to know everyone better before their larger wedding day.

When I arrive for that celebration, I won’t be another vendor walking into a room full of strangers. I even met their dog Chance!

From Their Civil Ceremony to Pleasant View Farm

After dinner, we traded courthouse chambers for open space and headed to Pleasant View Farm, where Kelly and Connor will eventually celebrate their larger wedding, for their engagement session. The property offers several spaces for weddings and events, which meant we had plenty of room to explore while getting them comfortable in front of my camera.

Using their wedding venue gave us time to explore the property without a wedding-day timeline. We could find the light, discover which areas worked well for photographs and, most importantly, give Kelly and Connor a chance to get comfortable being photographed together.

I don’t expect my couples to know how to pose. I use direction and prompts to give you a flattering starting point, then create space for you to interact naturally. I’m paying attention to your relationship dynamic and adjusting that direction to you.

The engagement session isn’t a test you need to pass before the wedding. It’s where we figure all of that out together.

Engagement Photos Are Practice for the Wedding Day

On our next call, I asked Kelly if there was anything I could do to help her feel more confident as the wedding approached. Her answer made my little photographer heart extremely happy.

She told me that before the engagement session, she would have been nervous about suggesting poses and knowing what to do in front of the camera. After actually working together, that stress had been lifted. And she told me their photos were just perfect.

That’s exactly what I want an engagement session to accomplish. Yes, I want you to walk away with photographs you love, but I also want you to arrive on your wedding day knowing what working together feels like.

You already know I’m going to give you direction. You know you aren’t responsible for inventing poses. Instead of wondering, What am I supposed to do with my hands? You know you can focus on the person you’re marrying.

Kelly and Connor got to figure all of that out at the place where they’ll eventually celebrate their wedding. They just happened to become legally married first.

Looking for a Courthouse Wedding Photographer in Pennsylvania?

Your legal ceremony doesn’t have to be treated like paperwork that happens before the “real” wedding.

Whether you’re planning a Pennsylvania courthouse wedding, a small civil ceremony, an intimate elopement or making things official before a larger celebration, photography coverage can fit what you’re actually doing.

It doesn’t need to be eight hours. It doesn’t need a wedding party or elaborate details. And you certainly don’t need to know how to pose yourselves.

You just need something worth remembering.

(Although I cannot guarantee that your judge will discuss horse anatomy.)

Planning something small before, instead of or in addition to your larger wedding day?
Let’s talk about photographing it.